Monday, 30 September 2013

There does seem to have been a minor resurgence in rock bands getting actual record deals recently, so it's a little surprising that Kent quartet Broken Hands haven't joined them yet. We're assured they're an incendiary live act so a UK tour earlier this month may just have helped their cause. Earlier this year they put out their EP 'Down By The Current', and we covered the record's first single 'Curves' shortly before they were due to support The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, and not every band can put that on their CV. Reports suggest they more than held their own too, which makes us think that a deal must be imminent.

To coincide with the tour (or because of our tardiness, to celebrate its completion), the band have made this video for another EP track, 'Pulled Under'. We don't feature a lot of hard-rock or lad-rock as it's generally not our bag, and while there's not too much laddishness about the band, the sound is similar and would probably appeal to fans of the heavier stuff too, despite it hardly being Slayer. Really they're an indie-rock band of the variety that both NME and Kerrang will love. And we say that with some conviction: will love. Because if they haven't discovered them and featured them already then the countdown to the hype must surely be under way. Broken Hands have the potential to be big news.

As is often the case, bands from the other side of the world don't always set up big press campaigns in the UK until they become established at home, or perhaps until the idea takes their fancy. Sydney quintet Lime Cordiale have just released their new EP 'Falling Up The Stairs' down under (we don't think there's a UK release yet, but with the power of the internet you should have no trouble buying a copy to download). We were given our introduction to the band earlier this summer when the EP's lead-track 'Bullshit Aside' landed in our inbox, and it was love at first listen.

With the full five tracks now available, a second single was released to coincide with the EP's arrival, and that single is 'Sleeping At Your Door'. They've done it again. Opening with drums and guitar that could be from an early '60s surf track, Lime Cordiale then take us on a trip through hook-filled guitar-pop with a sizable chorus, a healthy spattering of "wooh-oh-oohs" and generally all of the ingredients that makes this type of thing (call it indie or garage or guitar-pop or whatever you want) work really really well. We smell some more UK attention coming down the line...

You know those days when you start going through submissions only to discard one record after another because it's yet more '80s synth-pop that's a faint facsimile of the bands it's trying to be, and the singer thinks he's Phil Oakey? Today's been one of those days. Not only have these people missed the boat, but just because 'Don't You Want Me?' is a karaoke favourite it doesn't mean that people actually want you to release your own version of pretty well the same thing as a single. When the opening seconds of 'Young Actress' began we feared that LA artist Aaron Schroeder was yet another one of those.

So the first thing to say is thank you Aaron Schroeder. His track 'Young Actress' is nothing of the sort, it merely begins with some synths providing an almost choral backing and a vocal that bears a slight similarity but once you hear more you realise is all his own. From his new album 'Curses', this is a wonderful indie/pop song that incorporates many genres (including electro-pop) but is mainly based around a guitar. This is a full sound too, as though a wall of music was the goal, and as though sweet melodies were always a big part of the plan. 'Young Actress' is a great showcase for this man's talent, and 'Curses' could well be a little hidden gem for you to seek out.

If you're a bit sad and stuff like this interests you, then if you explore the mathematics behind the moon and its actions then the sums don't really add up properly. Maybe David Icke and others are correct and it is a hollow planetoid or even a cleverly disguised alien base (as suggested by secret NASA tapes). You're probably not that sad though, so shall we have a chat about the music? Maths and the Moon are a trio from The New Forest and the describe themselves as psychedelic, and as we know that can mean just about anything. So by way of a brief guide, they're not much like Tame Impala, Temples and all the other bands who the press are currently creaming themselves over. They offer something different, and what they offer is very good, in many cases a match for the bigger names. As always the ultimate judge will be your taste, but there's a little something on 'Night Train Daydream' for everyone.

'FFwD (Fly From Danger)' is little more than an interesting intro, but then they slam straight into the chugging, punky psych-pop urgency that makes up 'On A Knife Edge'. It's a cracker with some great lyrics which we would quote here, but narrowing it down to a line or two is impossible; just listen. This frantic, spoken-word style is at odds with many people's idea of what this genre should constitute, but not at odds with the actual genre. 'Hekyll And Hyde' (sic) is along similar lines and no amount of brain-racking will bring forth a direct comparison. This strange psych-punk (strange in style that is, it doesn't sound like a radical new form of music) sits down for a rest on 'It's OK to be Afraid', a song that you may consider to be more in keeping with the work of other bands, but it's still in a world of its own, not quite being able to grasp the dimension in which indie/guitar-type bands exist, and this is a major plus point for Maths and the Moon as it gives them true identity. Oh, and this song is a diverse, traversing epic by the way.

You could call 'Recurring Dream Number 13' an interlude; it's an instrumental piece of interstellar sound that has the effect of wiping the slate clean so we're ready for the galloping change of style we find on 'Old Days/New Daze', a song that flits between ambient, psych and alt-rock. These guys aren't exactly low on ideas, and good ones at that. 'WWYB (The Demons March)' could be beamed down from an alien spacecraft trying to make contact via music. It's a shame they're telling us they want our blood though. Bringing us down to earth is the much more human 'Anxious Cats' which deals with the usual insecurities of the human condition, perhaps they could ask those aliens for some help rectifying the problems. Like many of the tracks on 'Night Train Daydream' this one meanders and shuns regular structure in favour of a more organic journey through sound. The insane 'Monochrome' is another that does the same, whereas instrumental 'Lolocomo' is sample-based and sounds like a radio being tuned. It's a stark contrast when they follow it with the album's most commercial track, the indie-punk number 'Light at the 11th Hour'. Playing us out is the analogue-sounding electro-indie-krautrock track 'Polychrome', a song that takes a very good album out on a high. Long may Maths and the Moon continue to not quite fit in.

It's difficult (unless we got researching instead of reviewing) to remember how many drums/guitar/vocal duos there were in the past, but on the surface it would seem that there are a heck of a lot more now. Oh, and this is the bit where we mention The White Stripes and The Black Keys, so that's that out of the way. Many of these duos have a sound that's comparable to a full band and almost certainly utilised other players, or band members adding additional instrumentation during the recording process. Brighton duo Sort Arrows don't do that, and their second album, 'Overlapping Lives' sticks to what it says on the tin. These two want to create a whole load of noise, and they want to do that without bypassing the tunes. This is easier said than done with two instruments (one of which can't really help much in the melody department) and vocals.

Russell Eke and Tom Denney have had plenty of practice though, with 'Overlapping Lives' being their second full-length, so they probably know what they want to do and will have successfully worked out how to do it. So that's fine for them, but what about listeners; the people who will be likely to play to this album with a view to buying it? Firstly, take those two obvious comparisons from the first paragraph, put them through a paper-shredder and burn them. They're not needed here. The rawness of some of that material remains, but the polished, festival-headlining sounds are nowhere to be seen. This is not to say that Soft Arrows lack either ambition or the ability to produce material of that nature, it's simply not in their game plan. We'll say it again: they want raw, noisy tunes. So much so that they've filled this album with virtually nothing else.

There's an occasional mild hint of blues, particularly on 'Figure 8', an early highlight about serpents eating themselves. Nice. But as the drums clatter wildly and the guitars screech and groan with contortion when they break from knocking out a primal riff, really they're closer to grunge and noise-rock with a twist of shoegaze. Immediately this is contrasted by the more melodic and almost jangly 'Undercard', so you know this won't be a one-dimensional record; 'Divining Rod' also tones down the racket and switches it for something with more emotion, and this crops up again on the lovely 'Dry Heaves', because every record needs a song about a broken heart, right? If you take into account that these are followed by 'Boss and Coffee', 'Bat Signal' and 'Skin Cycle', it amounts to a mid-album lull, but not in quality, merely in ferocity, especially compared to the punky thrash of 'Scavenger Birds' that preceded them (with melody safely intact). Towards the end, 'Skin Cycle' gently introduces the flailing again. There's time for a bit more tenderness on 'Lost In Space' before 'Flightless Bird' wraps the album up by combining everything together. This is not always an easy listen, but it's a rewarding one to those with more alternative tastes.

Ugh. Cats on record covers is so 2010. To be honest, Stephen Keane and his rotating band of musicians (a trio featuring Sophie Brown and Gerry Burgess here) were probably unaware that cats had been featured on covers at all (Best Coast and Klaxons spring to mind), let alone be worried about what other people are doing. Slushy Guts exist on the periphery of even the alternative music world, and this new EP is further evidence. You will have noticed that it's called 'A Host Of Freakish Others Revolving In The Future', which is a bit of a mouthful, so it would be better condensed down to the initials 'WTF'. Naturally this set of songs is a lo-fi affair, but perhaps not in the regular sense. It's not sparingly produced, it's just kind of... recorded. So the "lo" bit doesn't really fit, which I guess would make this EP come under the new genre of "fi".

There's brief hope at the start of 'ALAS!' that proper songs might be on their way, but by the end of four minutes of half-spoken talking in some kind of tune (singing would be pushing it) and with what sounds like a kid they've dragged in off the street bashing about on some boxes with some sticks, that hope is pretty well totally diminished, only to be given a brief reprise when someone manages to get an electric guitar working. There's melody at the beginning of 'The Shape Of My Face Does Sometimes Change' but little else happens except for the vocals joining in and that kid with his boxes again; 'Just Drinking More Peaceful Then' is like a demo that was recorded on a child's tape player, possibly while drinking. Out of all the songs called 'Wolves In Space/Alturistic Therianthropes', Slushy Guts' version is probably my favourite, random collections of noises accompanying a song with absolutely no direction takes some skill. Hold up! 'WTF' does contain something akin to a song after all! It's called 'More-Days/Moretimes' and we've included it below. Confusingly (as if the rest of the EP wasn't anyway) we finish with another track called 'ALAS!', and this is downbeat and has the feel of a closing chapter. It also shows a worrying temptation to veer towards proper songs again though. Whatever the hell lot just was, we kinda liked it.

Y'know what? I don't think (well, I never really have) that there's any kind of crisis surrounding guitar-based music. The lack of non-stadium guitar bands in the chart is simply down to the way the charts are now compiled, and if (as has been suggested) YouTube plays eventually count towards chart placings then it will only make matters disastrously worse. The music industry is undoubtedly going through what, in footballing terms, would be a period of transition. Soon (and it's happening already) the top 40 will be less relevant than ever. The appetite for rock and other guitar-led forms of music is as high as ever, but less teens download "indie" type music as ringtones because the latest crop of puppets are much better designed for that. There are bands and fans aplenty. Business rates and beer prices are hampering the live circuit and forcing smaller venues to close, so action is needed there. But for the music? Nope.

This debut EP from Paul Lisak's After The Ice has been some time coming, but the man shows determination. From a Franco-Russian background, Lisak grew up in London and formed this band a few years ago. Why the diatribe about guitar music at the start? Because After The Ice (Hamzah Bashir Khan and Tomek-Tomek completing the line-up) are unashamedly a rock band, they don't try and wrap it up any other way or use any fancy terms. They even have veteran producer Nick Tauber (Thin Lizzie, Marillion, Girlschool) at the helm, and you can unquestionably taste the classic rock in these songs, but there's a modern aspect too. 'Wake Up' is fuzz-rock mixed with grunge and even hard-rock. Lyrically they don't deal with the mundane either, usually preferring social commentary and political viewpoints. They hold nothing back and a few histrionics creep in, but it's not a turn-off. Because of the manner in which all involved go about making these songs, it works. 'Tea And Cake' is a touch more generic but with a punky edge; 'Mesmerised' is very classic rock in its sound but doesn't come close to any Darkness-style parody, the honesty is what makes these songs tick. You'll hear every one of these aspects on the title-track, although it's perhaps the weakest song here. 'Think Snow Magic' might be a little conventional for our usual coverage, but they deserve a doff of the cap for doing what they want and doing it well.

Whilst we don't agree with attacking animals, we do agree with classic garage riffs and timeless, edgy guitar tunes. So Brooklyn trio Raccoon Fighter have definitely caught our ears with this 'Nuggets'-inspired piece of '60s-tinged excellence. The Hispanic-sounding 'Santa Tereza' (from new album 'Zil') also has just a mild taste of Latin America about it too, helping it avoid being lost in the crowd.

The song title might not have you expecting a barrel of laughs, but 'The Dream's In The Ditch' is an upbeat and sparkly alt-rock number from Rhode Island group Deer Tick. They announced their imminent return with single 'The Rock' several weeks back, and true to their word, fifth album 'Negativity' hits the UK stores tomorrow. Two singles in and all is sounding very good.

In the past couple of years we've grown to love Tobias Isaksson's electro-indiepop project Azure Blue. Type the name in our search box to hear more. Having already featured the two singles from 'Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt', (out today), new single 'Sunset' didn't seem quite up to standard. Turns out that was just an illusion, perhaps this isn't as immediate, but after a few plays it's sounding splendid.

After releasing their début single back in April, north-eastern collective The Agency offer up another well-made track in new single 'Sad Parallel'. It's not the most cheerful of songs, but if cinematic post-punk with a faint tang of Nick Cave sounds like the kind of thing you'll enjoy then you probably need to be checking out this band. If you missed the first tunes, have a go on this beauty instead.

We know London group The See See are good. We know that because of this, we know that because of this, we know that because of this, and we definitely know that because of this. They've clocked up multiple OROTW awards in the past, and new single 'Featherman' follows suit. There's a slight deviation on sound here, but not by much. Their sunkissed psychedelia is still the backbone of the song. Add to that a sprinkling of The Beatles, a smidgen of The Byrds and a cinematic string arrangement which hides in the background, gently going about its business. Then stick in a trademark jangly guitar solo, some brass, extra harmonies, and there you have it. Piece of piss this music lark.

Sunday, 29 September 2013

When you strip this song down to its core, really you're left with a very nice and well-written piece of adult-oriented pop. Maybe something your Mum would like if she was a bit more trendy and up to date than she is. But like a bowl of chips (or fries if you're reading in America), a little seasoning can make something relatively bland, but nevertheless popular, much better. Katey Laurel is a singer-songwriter from Denver, and it shows. You don't get songs with this accent being made in Wakefield, and if you do then they're fakes, and we'd rather have the real thing thanks very much.

This single is the first to be released from Katey's forthcoming new album 'Periscope' which is scheduled for early next year. She claims this is one of the best she's written, so if the rest follows suit and word gets around then she might make that breakthrough. So why are we featuring a song that's a little more polite than what we'd normally cover? Go back to your chips; it's all about the seasoning. Firstly, Katey becomes the 276,456th person to borrow Hal Blaine's timeless 'Be My Baby' beat, and anything with a hint of Spector's sound is a hit round here. Then more adornments are made, all of them very clean and note perfect, but not to the point that the song becomes sterile. If you have a good song of any genre, a little musical salt, vinegar and ketchup can transform things for the better.

It should be getting tired now, in fact it should have done a year or two back. Yeah, there are a few bands jumping on for a ride without really knowing what they're doing, but it seems that shoegaze, dreampop, psychedelia and so on are staying put for a while yet, maybe even getting stronger. Just ask anyone who's been at the Liverpool Psych Fest. this weekend. In fact, the other day I tried to write a review of a dreamgaze record without using any of the ultra-commonly used phrases, those lazy words that any amateur reels off. Then as a joke I made the last couple of lines as clichéd as possible. Guess which bit got picked as the pull quote from the review...

'Desire' is the debut single from Southsea-based band Is Bliss, and you could use those same terms again. It's a pretty good shoegazey dreampop song. The verses are quite standard but when they put the foot on the gas a bit more the track improves with it. Naturally there's an effects pedal or two used in the guitar solo. So whether you want to be creative in your descriptions of this music, or just give in like the PR people seem to have done and call this fuzzy and hazy and so on then take your pick. Either way, Is Bliss could be another band to add to the increasing list of modern ethereal types.

The punk explosion that began in the UK in 1976 wasn't just to wipe the slate clean. There was a new generation of kids growing up who wanted something for them. This is something we know through reliable first-hand accounts. Unlike much modern punk, many of the class of '76 and '77 focused anger and dissatisfaction into their music; the bands that mattered had a message, and that message was aimed at the government and its grave failings. During the '70s (personally I was alive for a few months as an embryo, so can't speak first-hand) there was huge inflation, the three-day-week, caps on public sector wages and unions going on strike. The situation wasn't far from what we have now. Can punk music express the current dissatisfaction, or, like the rationing of electricity by the coal miners' industrial action, is it out of date and should be the reserve of dubstep, grime and so on? The music developed by a new generation.

Leeds group (and former Band To Check Out) China Rats answer that instantly on the 'Don't Play With Fire' EP. 'N.O.M.O.N.E.Y.' is a blistering, blitzkrieg of a tune and one which, while not having the venomous vocals of a Johnny Rotten, is tackling the similar situation with some style. As we know it's clichéd and worthless trying to "stick it to the man", the band avoid doing so, preferring to talk about more personal experiences. It's proper earworm material. 'Deadbeat' is based around the same problems, and the option of getting out of your minds rather than looking for work due to having "no self-esteem" (and probably no chance). Same shit, different decade. Those scratchy riffs keep coming, lifted by chiming guitars and a likeable vocal, not to mention very good quality songs; and 'Get Loose' talks of having "nothing to do". 'Reeperbahn' nicks the drums from 'I Am The Resurrection' and heads in a brilliant indiepop direction, showing they don't just have one agenda. It's a real highlight and a quite beautiful song. Slightly changing tack again, they finish with the beat-group-by-way-of-punk 'Green Tears' and conclude what is a stunning EP.

Having a good six months or more of bands harping on about summer and how great it all is and how the sun is wonderful, and using similar descriptions in just about every other review on the site, it's refreshing and timely that as we hit autumn, Brooklyn band Such Hounds release an EP called 'I Hate Summer'. The best part? It's made up of four summer guitar-pop tracks! So whether they're taking the piss we don't know. Even the title-track contains lines like "I walked across the ocean... I'll be swimming a while", although it does go on to say "well sometimes in the summertime, I don't feel the way I used to feel", so maybe something (potentially a relationship break-up, as it sounds as though the song is directed at a girl) has happened to take the shine of the season.

There's some wonderful galloping guitar-pop with surf undertones on 'Sold My Soul' that instantly assures you that this will be a lively and bright album in terms of music, even if the lyrics (particularly here where there's talk of the devil and hearts exploding) are less than pretty. 'Too Late' barges in on a fuzzy, indie-punk riff and also compares to the current US alt-rock scene. Unless they're masters of fakery you can tell they're not a British band, put it that way. There's a full on party atmosphere with this one too, and plenty of sing-along opportunities. It might as well have "crowd favourite" tattooed on its forehead. One sound that's hallmarked this summer of lo-fi indie bands singing about the warmest of seasons is the DIY attitude, melodies and walls of mild guitar distortion. Take a bow, 'The Other Side'. Slow-burning closer? Certainly. 'In The Night' sounds as though it was recorded in an echo chamber for a Western movie that wants modern bands instead of traditional scores. They might not like summer, but there's what you could call an "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude, or maybe even an "if you can't beat them ,better them" one about Such Hounds.

We've had our beady little eyes on Tintagel-bred alt-rockers Dead Wolf Club for some time now. They may spend much of their time in London these days, as needs must, but we'll always mention their hometown as they must be proud of their heritage, and the locals proud of them. Plus as a south-westerner myself it's nice to talk about places closer to home. It should also be noted that some of the band live in Prague, so they're spread around. Their second album 'RAR' was a politically-minded record that spoke about many current problems, not least capitalism. With two albums under their belt, they caught the ear of Big Tea Records, and 'Healer' is the band's first release on their new home.

Opener 'Flood' finds them as angry and abrasive as ever, with angst spilling from every line and every chord, but the band have also had time to develop, and this EP shows more diversity and possibly better writing too (ultimately time will be the judge of that). 'Metropolis' is softer in places, but bile is spat in that chorus. It's a little difficult to decipher but we're not betting against this being another statement about current affairs. They have their finger on the pulse. A surprise highlight comes in 'Melt', and it's a surprise because the near monotone vocals recall The Longcut minus the dance direction; something you may not expect to work. Grungy guitars are given a good run out too as the song changes, avoiding any writing formulas. Dead Wolf Club have enough ideas not to need that approach. Lastly, '17', is a rarely found point between grunge and indiepop. Yes, those two genres have been mixed before, but not quite like this. Big Tea Records have got themselves a decent act.

Although this is the first time that Stockton-on-Tees collective Young Rebel Set have been mentioned on this site, the connection actually goes way back. And at first we didn't even realise it. During one of our very first radio shows back in 2007 we played a storming track by a band called The Lurios, it turned out to be popular with the listeners too and I found myself explaining to people who they were over a few beers later that night. A while later, this really pretty song appeared by a band called Billy The Kid & The Brothers Barbalios. It sounded... familiar. I made inroads into trying to arrange an interview with The Lurios a few months down the line to see if they had any new material. I was told the band had split but some members were now in another band. You can probably guess their name. I played the two back-to-back and it all made sense.

We never did get Bill The Kid... on the show, and for a long while wondered what had happened to that pretty song. It would be a shame if it passed the world by. Skip forward another year or two and I'd been hearing all about this band called Young Rebel Set, but hadn't heard a note of their music. A song came on the radio called 'If I Was', and suddenly it all fell into place: that style, those vocals - The Lurios, Billy The Kid..., Young Rebel Set... some of the same brains were involved in all three. So that pretty song was released and Young Rebel Set got an album out. This week they release a follow-up, 'Crocodile'. After hearing a couple of songs they sound like there's still a hunger there and the tunes haven't dried up either. 'Lash Of The Whip' is upbeat and driving with a regular and powerful pulse. There's life in this song, taking the much maligned indie-folk genre and injecting adrenaline straight into its heart. We'll have more from the Young Rebel Set album very soon. Unless they change their name again that is...

Saturday, 28 September 2013

You could almost use Ty Segall's release schedule as a daily alarm clock. The man always has new material coming out, and it's rarely short of being excellent. Much of what we've heard from him and his collaborations in the past has been some form of garage-rock; either original style or something more modern. And everything in between. Rock's most prolific man is letting us know he's no one-trick pony though, by getting together with another couple of stellar musicians to form power trio Fuzz. What did garage eventually split in to? Punk and metal. It's the natural next step.

The idea behind the album 'Fuzz' was to create a proto-metal sound, perhaps taking inspiration from the proto-metal groups of the late '60s such as Cream, Blue Cheer and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. What did those bands have in common? They were all power trios. Listening to tracks like the expansive jam of 'Loose Sutres' and you can feel the force, you can hear the equipment buzzing as it's at breaking point. Fuzz are literal in their name and the noise they make recreates the magic sounds of bands like The MC5 before metal turned sour. Then look at shorter tracks like 'What's In My Head' and listen to it prowl around you. These guys know the size of it, and the record they've made is a beast that will shed new light on one of music's current guitar heroes.

It's generally accepted that once musicians hit middle-age they'll keep regurgitating their past glories with diminishing returns, take a swerve for the middle of the road, and generally become less experimental and more dull. Not so with Steve Cradock it seems. There are no tedious albums of cover versions to please your Mum on the horizon. The man is still digging around in the '60s like he has been for twenty years, but the results are sounding fresh and exciting. Recent single 'Sheer Inertia' was a wonderful psych track that nestles in nicely with the current appetite for all things trippy. It seems the rest of the album will follow suit.

Out next week, 'Travel Wild, Travel Free' could be the surprise package of the year. To repeat what we said before: if these songs were by Tame Impala or whoever, the press would be lapping them up. Nothing here is new; it's the same sounds from a long time ago, the same effects on the vocals and the guitar, the same harmonies... but better songs. Maybe a spark has lit and Cradock realises he knows much more about this stuff than the young pretenders, even if he hasn't always shown it in the past. 'I Am The Sea' is a classic sounding tune with all the right hallmarks. Props to his kids, aged 9 and 10, for producing and directing the video too. Good things all round.

The clever (or probably accidental, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt) thing about Okkervil River is that, as well as being incredibly prolific as they are, many members have been involved in offshoots, guest-spots, collaborations and so on. Most notably the formation of Shearwater by two of the band's early members. Will Sheff is no longer a permenant member of that band, concentrating on this band instead, but Jonathan Meiburg has jumped ship to make Shearwater a permenant concern. Also they recently backed psych legend Roky Erickson on his recent album. Combined with the other odd appearance, even when Okkervil River don't have a record out, their name is in the music press almost constantly. You're not allowed to forget about them.

Despite forming in the late '90s, their first full-length wasn't until 2002, it wasn't until 2008 that I first heard them, and it's always seemed to me that the one thing that lets the band down is consistency, or rather the lack of it. When you take into account that my introduction to the band was the superlative 'Lost Coastlines', just about anything is going to pale in comparison. So it's perhaps unfair that their every move is compared to that masterpiece. Take a step back, forget that song, and listen to new album 'The Silver Gymnasium' without expectation or prejudice and you'll find that consistency isn't really a problem at all. At least not as far as this album is concerned. Yes, some songs are better than others, but the same goes for virtually every record ever made. When taken in this context, this is a solid indie-rock/Americana album.

There are no major shocks style-wise, and this is a good album that can be listened to as a whole, but if the thought of more US alt-rock and similar genres is starting to get a bit much then skipping through a few more instant tracks might not be a bad way to get started. Set your sights on formidable single 'Down Down The Deep River', the building 'Pink-Slips', the hook-filled 'Where The Spirit Left Us', 'White' with its grand military beat and the wintry single 'It Was My Season'. 'On A Balcony' is good for those with a taste for more modern country sounds, they play around with electronics on the poppy 'Stay Young'. There are no bad songs on 'The Silver Gymnasium' and it can safely be labelled a good album, and a grower too. Maybe not quite gold standard, but a decent aural workout. Perfect title really.

I'm sure most of you know the story, but a quick recap. Cajun Dance Party emerged in the middle of the last decade, just at the right time to become a part of the jerky, indie guitar-pop scene (Good Shoes, The Maccabees first album etc.) and seemed to have everything going for them. They were teenagers, but début (and only) album 'The Colourful Life' was good enough to be considered one of the albums of the decade by our Scottish correspondent (we suggest newcomers start with 'Amylase'). However, frontman Daniel Blumberg decided he'd had enough and left, taking bassist Max Bloom with him. They formed Yuck and dialled back the years to a more post-grunge sound with the odd catchy indiepop tune thrown in ('Georgia' still sounds amazing). Their 2011 début drew favourable comparisons to Sonic Youth, Pavement, My Bloody Valentine and so on. It was all going rather well.

Earlier this year (obviously not a man to stay in one place too long), Blumberg announced he was leaving to concentrate on solo work (and already has music out), Bloom stayed with the band who began work on their second album, and took over vocal duties. Being left without one of your chief writers/frontman can ruin a band, or can be the making of them. When Syd Barrett departed Pink Floyd they went on to become one of the biggest bands in history (although many music fans much prefer those first few years), but when co-writer and lead guitarist Bernard Butler left Suede, they threw out an album of pop hits and promptly went tits up. Butler on the other hand, released a couple of hit singles, teamed up with David McAlmont for some stellar work and set about a hugely successful career as a producer (ironically counting Cajun Dance Party among his credits). We didn't have to wait long to find out how Yuck fared.

Their first offering with the shuffled line-up is out this coming week and has already seen the singles 'Rebirth' and 'Middle Sea' given the thumbs up from many sources, not least us. Once again, they've dialled the clock back a few years to shoegaze circa-1991, and they've mastered it. All the hallmarks of classic albums from that era (style-wise comparisons can be drawn to Slowdive and Chapterhouse) are in place. Even the title of opening instrumental, the relaxing and sunkissed haze of 'Sunrise In Maple Shade', is perfect. This leads us to another comparison from around the same time: Spiritualized's masterpiece 'Lazer Guided Melodies'. If the use of brass in that style wasn't influenced by that album then it's a big coincidence. 'Nothing New' is also full of brass but is closer to something from a Belle & Sebastian song, yet it fits in wonderfully. More indiepop can be found on 'Now Does It Feel' but effects pedals remain in position.

There's classic, soft distortion rubbing shoulders with guitar chimes on the lovely 'Out Of Time'; 'Memorial Fields' is typical of the genre but is at the high end for sure, and the same goes for 'Somewhere'. 'Lose My Breath' keeps the fuzz of some of their past songs, tones it down a little and plonks it behind some great melodies. It's one of many potential singles. 'Chinese Symbols' takes the most atmospheric approach here but still doesn't forget the whole "tune" part, then lastly they finish with some classic songwriting on the quite brilliant title-track which could be adapted to any style and work like an absolute treat. With the double scuzz-pop blast of the two aforementioned singles slammed right in the middle of 'Glow & Behold' it almost seems faultless. The band might have lost one of their main men, but it turns out the rest of them could be even better as a unit. Yuck? Yum!

It's often a good idea to ensure that your début single leaves an impression, so that's what Brisbane powerpop quartet The Worriers have done with 'Little Lucy'. It's your usual collision of thumping drums and frantic guitar but they make sure that at the heart of it all is a pop song. It does make you take notice, and as opening gambits go, we've heard much worse.

Californian band Seabright have been around a bit longer, in fact we even featured them with the track 'For Icy' earlier this year. Like that song, 'Sweep Away' is another freebie courtesy of Love Our Records and is a lovely indie/dreampop tune with just a hint of surf guitar thrown in for a tropical tang. Much ground is covered here, yet it still feels like it ends too soon.

This rabid instrumental guitar tune in part '80s indie and part '60s psych. It's actually a double A-side with another track, 'Let In The Sound', but the insatiable jangle of Northern Soil is just too good resist. On paper there may not be much to it, but come up with a simple catchy riff, stick on some clattering drums and you have yourself a winner.

We knew nothing of Chicago duo 13 Monsters until they emailed us the other day, which to be quite honest is how it usually works. This pair combine soft, sweet female vocals with atmospheric soundscapes that consist of electronics as well as more regular guitar and drums. The resulting song, 'Perfectly Imperfect', builds into something quite impressive.

LA band Victory make choppy garage-punk with a timeless feel, perhaps inspired by their love of the music of rock n' roll, punk and Phil Spector. Freebie 'This, That Or This' is as catchy as they come and is a fun blast of guitar-pop from their album 'Victory Is Music'. We haven't heard the full album yet, but this single can definitely be classed as a victory.

Friday, 27 September 2013

This new single from Australian trio Seekae is powerful enough without what comes next. The dubby, trip-hop style of the song is slowed so that the beats really grip you and the vocals convey an extra dose of passion. 'Another' sounds as though it's about a relationship break-up, with its refrain of "I want another girl", but it's pain from all parties involved, not just the one left behind. The experience really shows as the electronic soundscape builds into something that's quite cinematic and likely to break through to even the hardest of hearts.

The video is equally cinematic and was filmed on location in a run-down part of La Paz in Bolivia. A deadbeat-looking guy is met by a group of younger men. They make him seem welcome although it's not clear (but unlikely) they knew him before. Soom warm embraces are taking place and the group heads to an even more run-down area where they ply the man with spirits, chew what could be coca leaves (from which cocaine is derived) until the man is paralytic. He's hen forced to drink more, possibly even poisoned, until he collapses. At this point the group drag his corpse to a pit and bury him in a shallow grave. Powerful stuff indeed.

Do you like music that's really really twinkly? If the answer is yes then this new single from Town Of Saints will probably get your stamp of approval. The band rely heavily on live shows, cramming as many into each year as possible. With songs like 'Carousel', taken from their new album 'Something To Fight With', it's no wonder. This sort of stuff will go down well with a crowd, so perhaps the video featuring festival performances is just perfect to watch whilst giving the tune a spin. It may also bring back some memories of those summer festivals that have just ended.

Many bands who rely heavily on the festival circuit can have a bit in common with The Levellers, or more recently Mumford and Sons. So while 'Carousel' is part indiepop it does bring out the fiddles and starts to stray into the well-worn festival cliché style at times. Perfect for a family slot in the afternoon. The Dutch/Finnish collective don't quite go that far though, and while they may do better by totally avoiding what the crusty masses lap up, it doesn't really do too much harm as the song is good. Plus it's full of twinkles, and twinkles are great, right?